Week Ending December 13, 2008 Week #1

Sister Sterzer learned how to make fudge and was a huge help along with Sister Toomey and Sister Wood. We accomplished a lot in a very short time.

Take the Zone Leaders from around the high council table and they start looking just a little strange, but nothing like.....

Poor President is always trying to look dignified.

It snowed today – Saturday 12-13-08! I got up to go to the gym at 6:00 am this morning and I found about 2 inches of snow on my car. By the time I drove down the hill and hit Williamette there was no snow on the ground. This little hill we live on is just enough higher than the office and town to get snow even when they don't. Eugene is only at about 400 feet above sea level and our little hill is just enough higher. It looks great. In the higher areas of the state, like Bend – about 3,600 feet above sea level – they will get more snow and the mountains between here and there are expected to get a foot or two with this storm.

Although this week is normally not an interview week, we decided to start early so we could see all of the missionaries before Christmas and give them a small gift and some of Sister Macdonald’s home made fudge and short bread. Unfortunately I have been having some with each group (just to be sociable of course) but I need to stop this or I will end up looking more like Santa than I want to!

We did interviews this week in Klamath Falls, Bend / Redmond, and Coos Bay. Since the snow didn’t come until Saturday we were lucky to get the traveling done on the roads that are more subject to heavy snow early in the interview process.

Christmas is a great time to be in the mission field. We feel so much closer to the Savior as we are doing His work full time. It is nice to be able to put up some of the decorations and have some help since we are trying to fit in extra visits right now. Several missionaries have given service to us: one companionship put up the lights on the house, another helped decorate the tree, some sisters will come today to help with a little more cooking and wrapping, and several companionships have helped us eat some of our food and goodies. It has been fun to have about 15 different missionaries (in addition to the arriving and departing missionaries as well as the zone leaders) come and share the holiday spirit with us in our home.

I received a letter telling me that our compliment of missionaries will be increasing. It is scheduled to go up by about 13 companionships. It will be both a challenge and a blessing to prayerfully determine where to put the additional missionaries.

We also found out that two new sets of senior missionaries will be coming. One couple will be coming the week of Christmas and the other one in late January. We are excited to have them come and help build the kingdom here.

While I am well aware that the real signs of success in this type of work are the inner changes that are made in individual people, it is fun to watch the great growth in lessons being taught and people joining the church as missionaries do their very best to become "Preach My Gospel" missionaries. The office missionaries found records by individual month in the office for the last five years and we hit a record in November in the key indicators related to lessons taught, people with a baptismal date, and baptisms. I am so happy that our missionaries and the people here are being blessed to teach and receive the gospel.

I am so lucky to have the companion I do! Sister Macdonald is the best.

Week Ending December 7, 2008 Week #6

It was too cold to take pictures outside the Portland Temple with our December departing missionaries. This was taken in the atrium just inside the temple.

Our Dec. 2, 2008 arrivals. We hardly knew what to do with such a small group. Small in number, but large in personality and spirit.

We have had a very unseasonably dry winter thus far – just typing that statement increases the likelihood that all of that will change now.

This week was another of our “Best of times and the Worst of times.” For the best of times we welcomed in eight new missionaries – six Elders and 2 Sisters. (The worst of times is sending home missionaries we have come to love.) They arrived on Tuesday. All went well in their arrivals and this was the first “normal size” group we have had (our first transfer week we didn’t receive any incoming missionaries and the last two incoming groups were very large groups of 22 and 19.) Dealing with 8 missionaries was very calm. Elder Turner from Riverside (who had gone on exchanges with Clint) arrived safely and was all he was built up to be and he seemed excited to be here. He said my personality was very similar to Clint’s. That is great news for me, but likely not so great for Clint. :>)

Wednesday we enjoyed going to the Portland temple with the group going home the next day. One of our returning missionaries has a cousin serving in the Portland mission and he was able to come to the temple that same time and visit a bit with his cousin. It was quite nice. The going home testimony and “last supper” was held that evening with the group, and it was very enjoyable. They all went home safely on Thursday, but there was a mix up with one of the sisters who was traveling to Palm Springs and when we went to the airport they didn’t have a ticket for her. That took a few calls and about 45 minutes of waiting time at the airport to work out with the travel group in SLC. I was glad we had arrived early enough to resolve the problem that same day.

Friday we had Zone Leaders Council (ZLC) here at the mission home instead of starting here and traveling to the chapel. It was a bit tight, but I think everyone liked the homey atmosphere.

At the end of the ZLC – one of the zone leaders who jokes with me from time-to-time came up to me and put his arm around me and asked “How is the best mission president in the church?” He had been joking around with me about him and me going to a Portland Trailblazers basketball game. So I told him no he couldn’t go to the game. He then got a bit more serious and told me he had received a speeding ticket on his way to the ZLC. I asked him how fast he was going and he told me 96 mph in a 65. I was sure he was kidding me, but the long story short is he wasn’t kidding. The fine will cost him about $500, which I determined is punishment enough.

We went to a couple of baptisms this week – one for a man our assistants had tracked out and taught. He is a solid man who is excited about what the gospel can do for his family. He is the first in his family to be baptized but he has support from everyone. He and his wife are divorced, but they are seeing each other again. She came to his baptism along with her older son from a prior marriage. Their six year old son wants to wear a badge like the missionaries. Today he was confirmed (I was able to stand in the circle) and ordained a priest. He bore his testimony and said he had lived in SLC for 17 years, and said he was determined if an LDS person ever asked him to learn more he would. I am sorry he had to move to Eugene to be tracked out by missionaries to have that opportunity, but glad that he found it eventually. Also when we was baptized one foot came up and he had to be baptized a second time. His 6 year old son was confused he was "only" baptized two time, because he thought he had to be baptized three times - once for the Father, once for the Son and once for the Holy Ghost.

Mom is wrapping a small present for each of the missionaries and cooking a little treat for us to bring to them while we are doing interviews the next few weeks. Once again I think she is overdoing it, but she does so great!

Although this calling is still the hardest thing we have ever done, we are loving it more and more each week.

Week Ending November 30, 2008 Week #5

One of the many impressive and beautiful bridges that we cross in our travels. It reminds me of a cathedral. I'm sure my photo doesn't do it justice.

We fell in love with this houseboat parked by the side of someone's home. Had to take a picture!

I wish I knew the name of this lake and this old volcano, but I don't. I only know that the view was especially breathtaking on this particular day.

This week was fairly light as we had our zone conferences (that we usually hold this week) two weeks earlier to accommodate the visiting general authority. We were happy to have two of our sons – Tommy & Ryan and their families here for Thanksgiving. We also finished up transfer assignments and I made leadership calls.

All of our missionaries had one or more meals with a ward family on Thanksgiving. They followed tradition of past years, which I am now questioning, of playing in the various ward turkey bowls throughout the mission.These football games are, in theory, “non-contact.” Based on the pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles and other injuries that occurred, I am rethinking what the events for the day should be. Anyway, I am so grateful for how the members treat these great missionaries.

The kids left for home on Saturday and we left to drive to Coquille – about 2.5 hours away. We attended a baptism Saturday night and then stayed the night at Bishop’s Hladky’s home. He had invited us to speak in the ward on Sunday and overnight in Coquille. It was a pleasure to be able to do that. After we spoke in Coquille we also attended sacrament meeting in North Bend and visited with the Elders there.

On Saturday night, after the baptism and dinner with the Elders and the Hladkys, I went teaching with the Elders to a single sister and her four children. We were scheduled to teach the 3rd discussion and I was to teach on enduring to the end. When we got there the 2 boys ~ 11 and 13 or so weren’t there as they were watching the “Civil War” (the football game between Oregon State and UofO) at the house of Pastor Lee. We really had a good discussion and the woman and her daughters had read from the Book of Mormon and had a very good understanding. When we were almost done – I had even taught my part - the boys arrived home along with Pastor Lee and his wife. Pastor Lee is a man in his 40s or 50s who has tattoos on his arm and was wearing biker apparel - as was his wife. He had on a cap that said “Bikers for Christ.” We exchanged pleasantries but it was still just a bit uncomfortable. She committed to come to church again and to hear Mom and me talk the next day, but sadly she didn’t make it. I really feel bad when someone I know doesn’t come and I get a better understanding of how the missionaries feel when their investigators don’t come.

Other than the normal routine of reading a lot of great letters from the missionaries that pretty well sums up our week. This coming week we will look forward to welcoming in new missionaries and sadly sending some missionaries home as well.

Week Ending November 22, 2008 Week #4

Turkeys in the neighborhood. I wonder if they'll stick around for Thanksgiving.

This week went fairly well as planned – which in and of itself is somewhat unusual. I had the chance to interview about 60 missionaries in Corvallis and Salem areas. While I am interviewing one Mom is visiting with another and I think that combo really helps lift them. Most are doing so good and were really excited following last week’s zone conferences. You may remember that Elder Mask interviewed two of the missionaries in that area that were contemplating going home and gave them both blessings. It strengthened them for a little while. From Saturday to Tuesday and Wednesday respectively one said he still wants to go home, and one had a significant reversal and wants to stay.

The elder more determined to stay had written to his parents on Monday and said he was definitely going home. They called me when they got the letter on Thursday. Having just visited with him on Wednesday I was surprised and when I called him back he said he was doing a lot better when we visited. I asked him if he was at a “1” to “2” level of commitment and happiness when he wrote to his parents where was he when we visited the day before and now? He told me he was an “8” to “9.” So I pray the Lord continues to help him feel His spirit and that he will want to stay. I also hope the other elder catches the vision of this great work.

Last week when Elder Mask was here he taught about the need to have “Fire in the Bones” for the Book of Mormon. It is obvious that many of the missionaries have caught on to that phrase and personally have that vision and want to build on that foundation.

Thursday we had dinner with one of our neighbors – at their home. They have been extremely friendly to us and to the previous mission presidents. They had invited the assistants to come with us and teach a lesson. They are so very gracious but did not seem ready to be taught further. They are so kind to us and we appreciate their friendship.

Thursday and Friday the assistants and I worked on upcoming transfers. On Friday night Mom and I spoke at a ward dinner / fireside about 80 miles south in a town called Myrtle Creek. The ward had invited all those who had completed the Bishop’s challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days to celebrate with a dinner and to read together the final two chapters of Moroni. There were about 75 people who had completed the challenge and were there – which I thought was great for their small ward. I was impressed - since they asked us to be the keynote speakers after that event - that the bishop must have anticipated missionary work to come out of this reading. I challenged them to “noise about” this good word as the people did in 3rd Nephi and let others know what they found. It was great to go and visit with them, and we were further blessed as Elder and Sister Stratton from the office came with us.

With Thanksgiving coming up we are excited to see Tommy and Ashlee and their girls arrive late tonight and then have Ryan and Rachel arrive on Monday. It will be fun to have Thanksgiving week with them.

Week Ending November 16, 2008 Week #2 and 3

Aren't the leaves beautiful. This is the Portland Temple, but the leaves are beautiful everywhere we go. This is Elder Hall - one of the assistants who trained us.

The last couple of weeks have been fairly busy as we had to change our zone conference week from week # 5 to week # 3 in order to accommodate a member of the 2nd quorum who toured our mission from November 12th to the 15th. His name is Elder Clate Mask. In truth it worked out better for us too since two of our children and their families will be here during Thanksgiving. That week would normally be scheduled for our zone conferences. We would have moved the conferences anyway, but the changed schedule sure kept us busy the last two weeks. So in the last two weeks - on top of the normal scheduled interview travels we also held three multi-zone conferences, went to two coordinating council meetings and we spoke in the Florence ward sacrament meeting on the 16th.

We have traveled a lot in the last two weeks in order to fit in everything with two trips back and forth to Medford for interviews and the zone conferences as well as trips to Bend and Klamath Falls. We also interviewed all of the Eugene missionaries. We just love visiting with our missionaries!

The Rogersons from our stake in Orem visited us November 8th to the 10th. He had served a mission here 47 years ago and they came here for two days on their way to visit various temples. While they were here Sister Macdonald drove them by the apartment he lived in while in Eugene. It is still standing and is still an apartment. The owner let them walk through it and take pictures. He really enjoyed that. She wants copies of his pictures and copies of his old pictures too. He promised to send them to her.

We picked up Elder and Sister Mask in Medford on the evening of the 12th. They had been touring the Portland mission the 1st of the week and flew from Portland down to Medford. We had been in Bend and Klamath Falls Monday thru Wednesday and then came over to Medford to meet them. If you don’t know much about him – which is easy enough since there are a few seventy these days - here is a brief bio: He served as a mission president in Barcelona Spain from 1997 to 2000. He taught seminary for about 30 years before going out as a MP. After his mission he served as a Bishop of an Arizona State University singles ward for a couple of years and retired from teaching seminary before being called into the 2nd quorum of the 70 in 2003. He is full of energy – as is his wife – and they seemed fresh at every conference we were at with them.

We held multi-zone conferences in Medford, Eugene and Corvallis on Thursday, Friday and Saturday respectively. The Elders were happy to be taught by him. I asked Elder Mask to visit with two of the Elders who have been contemplating going home and he seemed to boost their spirits a bit. It is good to have them visit with another person for a change, and hear him council them the same way.

On Friday night we had a dinner with the three local stake presidents and their wives at the home of President and Sister Martin. It was nice to visit with them socially on top of the more formal church meetings I have with them.

After the final zone conference on Saturday we drove the Masks to Portland where they had another day or two of church business to do up there.

Sunday, the 16th, we spoke at sacrament meeting in the Florence ward and we really enjoyed it. A nonmember came up and told us he felt the spirit stronger than he ever had and then he hugged Sister Macdonald. I found him afterwards in Sunday school class and told him (in front of the missionaries and others attending the class) to let me know when he was going to be baptized and we would come back out. He told me he would. The missionaries then told me that they hadn’t invited him to be baptized yet. I said you have now. It felt right and I trust that he will go thru with it. It felt great to be involved in that level of missionary work on a personal level.